


The Choices We Made

by TigerRoseBlue



Category: Ao no Exorcist
Genre: Angels, Archangels, Cause the Shimas need to be called out thank you, F/M, Give the boy a hug please!, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Mentioned Abuse, Not Arthur Auguste Angel though he might also appear, PTSD, Poor Rin, The illuminati - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27910651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerRoseBlue/pseuds/TigerRoseBlue
Summary: *Canon AU, Set after Training Camp*After the disaster that was the summer training camp, Rin is being ostracized by his friends for being the son of Satan. His brother, Yukio, barely acknowledges him either and Shura, his crazy teacher/babysitter only tells him to train harder. Along with every other question swirling about in his brain, this one stands out: "Why did the old man save me?"Leona Alexander, half-angel and the Archangel Ariel, was not expecting to have to tutor the son of Satan. She wasn't expecting to like the guy either or want to shoot all of his friends in the asses for being idiots.She wasn't expecting Shima Renzo, either. Warned by her Archangel brother, Raphael, to keep an eye on the boy, a double agent for the Illuminati, an organization run by Lucifer, the Demon King of Light and the strongest of the Kings Of Gehenna.Sometimes, life gives you lemons. And then they magically become lemonade and you're just standing there asking yourself what the fuck just happened.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue: The Still Before the Chaos

"I have been expecting you."

Mephisto Pheles, Principal of True Cross Academy, also known as Samael, the Demon King of Time, swirled his glass of wine as he looked out the window at the storm brewing in the sky. A green light shone from behind him and a voice spoke. "I'm not here to play your games, Samael."

"My dear Raphael," Samael crooned with a smirk. "Why so hostile? It's been too long."

"I suppose you know why I'm here as well?" The Archangel asked, ignoring the demon's inquiry.

Samael sipped his drink. "But of course. You want to teach my clueless little brother to control his abilities."

"How do you know I'm not coming to kill him?"

He chuckled. "Because you wouldn't have come. Michael or one of the others would've been sent in your place. And they wouldn't have bothered coming to me at all.

So, who shall it be? Surely, not Michael."

He could hear his old foe grit his teeth. "Ariel."

Samael's fingernail tapped the glass. "I thought she was deceased?" His brother had bragged to him about it a couple of years ago.

There was a moment of silence, the Archangel reluctant to hand him any information, despite being on the same side. Finally, he spoke. "She is. Her daughter is the new Ariel."

"I see." He waited for the other's response.

It was quite the non sequitur, when it came.

"Did you truly think we wouldn't find out?" Raphael sounded honestly curious.

A smirk was Samael's only answer, but it was enough.

"Be careful. My siblings and I do not care to be your pawns in this game you play," he warned. "I will arrive with my sister soon. Prepare room for her if you wish for our assistance."

And he was gone, taking the light with him.

Samael raised his glass to the chaos. "The game's just gotten interesting, little brother. What will you do now that Jannah has set its sights on you?"


	2. Chapter 1: Daughter of Ariel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, y’all. I’ve been lurking around on this site for awhile now, but this is my first story to be posted on AO3. I’m normally on Wattpad. This is also my first Blue Exorcist fanfic, so please tell me what y’all think!
> 
> Also, apologies for my oc’s language. She drops the f-bomb every few paragraphs, but that’s just her character 😅. I hope you like her!

"You've got to be kidding me."

Leona Alexander, high school student and half-angel, stared at her brother in disbelief. He looked awkwardly to the side.

"You want me to go to a school of exorcists–in Japan–and pretend to be a student to tutor the son of Satan? Literal Satan?" She was a bit caught up on that bit. Growing up Christian could do that, alright?

"Yes."

Not a bit of hesitation. Leona groaned. "Why me?"

"Michael, Gabriel, and Raguel are more likely to kill him, Metatron wouldn't fit in, Azrael would fit in too much–whatever that means, and Azrael said, 'I would stick out like a sore thumb'," he repeated. And she couldn't argue with any of that. 

Shit.

She sighed. "How long do I have to pack?"

Now he hesitated. "Two hours?"

Deep breath, Leona, deep breath. "Raphael."

________________________________________________________________________________

"You're coming back for my supplies," Leona informed her brother crossly.

Two hours and a chaotic whirlwind of packing later, she had at least gotten the essentials. Clothes enough to last her two weeks, just in case; toiletries, weapons, and her medication. Unfortunately, she hadn't been warned in time to sort through all of her art supplies as well.

"Yes, sister," Raphael agreed easily.

He held out his arm to her. She took a deep breath and held on as her small apartment in rural North Carolina disappeared.

________________________________________________________________________________

Rin took a deep breath. It was cool. Everything was fine. Sneaking out of the dorm that morning had been a piece of cake. Now he could see the others without Yukio or Shura looking over his shoulder. It would be fine.

Just open the door and, "Hello, everyone!" He exclaimed, walking into the room. Only to see two people in there–Sheimi and Eyebrows. They were both staring at him. He smiled, then remembered his fangs. Shit.

"Where's the Kyoto trio?" He asked.

Eyebrows answered him. "They're still at the hospital. Miwa had to have surgery."

Ah, there was the shitty feeling. He'd almost begun to miss it. Not. Rin's neck shrunk a bit into his shoulders. "Oh. I see. I hope nothing goes wrong," he says, plopping down into his seat beside Shiemi. She flinched.

Fuck.

Rin looked over at her. "Wh-what's up?" Why the hell was he stuttering? "Don't tell me you're still scared of me!"

She shook her head, but didn't say anything.

Oh, fuck that.

He stood up, his heart pounding. "I thought we were good now!"

"We are," she said weakly.

He gritted his teeth. "No, we're not! Cause you're still scared of me!!"

"You're wrong!" She exclaimed, rising from her seat as well.

"Then why are you so angry?!" He asked, his fists shaking. He put one down on the table to steady himself.

"T-That's not it!" 

"Will you be happy if I apologize?!"

"Apologizing...? I don't want you to do anything like that..." She took an audibly deep breath. "You–!"

"Okumura!" 

Right then, Rin realized that his brother and another Exorcist were standing in the doorway. Shit. They found him fast.

Yukio grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. "From today onwards, Okumura will be taking a different curriculum, so please come with me." Great, it was his fake-polite, actually-pissed off voice. Wait. "I am?"

"Excuse us, Yunokawa-Sensei. Please continue with the lesson," Yukio continued, completely ignoring him. "I'm sorry for interrupting, everyone."

And he was pulled into the hallway.

But he could still hear the teacher telling his former classmates to get as far away from him as possible if he acts "strange".

His tail tucks itself close to his body.

________________________________________________________________________________

"What the fuck?"

He just grinned at her.

Leona turned to her brother. "What the fuck?"

"What?" He asked, ever clueless.

She took a deep breath. "Why–for God's sake–is a demon running a school for exorcists?"

The demon spoke up. "Special circumstances, dear. Please, sit." He waved his hand at the chairs in front of his desk. Leona cautiously sat down. "I suppose dear Raphael has told you why you've been asked to come here." It wasn't a question, but she answered anyway.

"More like ordered, but yes." She held up a finger. "The son of Satan. Needs tutoring?" 

"Desperately," he replied wryly.

Leona stared at him with all the skepticism in Assiah, Gehenna, and most of Jannah. He didn't falter. She took a deep breath. "Alright, then. You do realize this sounds like the start of a bad fanfic, right?"

He shrugged, resting his chin of his long, clawed fingers. "Perhaps."

She blinked. And he knew what fanfic was. Alright, then. 

She shook her head. Not going there. Nope, not going to do it. "So, where is my pupil?"

The demon grinned, showing his fangs. "Right this way, my dear angel." He stood up, sweeping his hand towards the door they had just come in. She had no choice but to follow.

And she wasn't going to ask why he was dressed like a court jester from the Middle Ages. Nope. Not going to.

________________________________________________________________________________

Shura had just finished explaining Rin's training to him when Mephisto of all people strolled into the room with two others behind him. Yukio stepped up. "Sir, what's going on? We were just beginning to start Rin's training."

"Oh, wonderful!" He exclaimed. "We're not too late." He motioned the one of the two people behind him to step forward. The girl with auburn hair and amber eyes walked up cautiously, her eyes on Rin. Rin watched her was well, feeling strangely relaxed, which then made him tense.

"I thought you'd need a bit of help, so I enlisted–" "No, you didn't," the blond man interrupted. "–some assistance from an old acquaintance," the clown continued, not losing a beat.

"And how's she s'posed to help?" Shura demanded.

"If you would, dear," Mephisto prompted.

The girl looked at him like he was insane–Rin sometimes thought the same thing. "Excuse you? Fuck that, I'm not some kind of trick pony!"

Shura barked out a laugh. "Oh, I like her."

The girl turned away from Mephisto with a whirl of red hair and strode towards him. Yukio and Shura seemed frozen as she walked right up to him. "Leona Alexander, pleasure to meet you," she said, holding out her hand.

Rin took it. "Rin Okumura."

"Son of Satan?" She asked with a wry smile on her face. For some reason, he couldn't get mad about it. "Yeah," he responded. 

She gestured towards herself. "Daughter of Ariel."

There was an awkward silence as Rin attempted to find that name in his brain.

Leona sighed. "An Archangel."

"What?"

________________________________________________________________________________

The guy with the glasses was being stubborn.

"They don't exist," he insisted for the umpteenth time. Leona wasn't acknowledging him anymore.

"Oh, they do," the demon assured. "They're just...oh, what do you call it...homebodies?"

Poor Raphael looked confused. Unfortunately, Leona had to agree with the demon's–she seriously needed his name, she didn't want to keep referring to him as "the demon" in her head–assessment. They were homebodies. And assholes. Most of them, anyway.

Glasses looked at him incredulously, which she felt was a bit stupid. Most people around the world thought demons didn't exist, but here they were, standing with one and a half. 

Rin shrugged. "Alright, so angels exist. Nothing can surprise me at this point."

She looked over at him. He wasn't what she expected. Rin Okumura was definitely half-Demon to anyone who knew what to look for, with his noticeably longer canines, sharp and impossibly blue eyes, slightly pointed ears, and, lets not forget, the fucking tail. But she could see underneath that. 

Rin Okumura was short-tempered and immature, yes, but also passionate, caring, and protective. Leona already knew she'd like him.

"Alright, since we've now established that I exist," she said drily. "Can we please get on with it? I was just told about this arrangement less than 3 hours ago and I have stuff to do." 

That seemed to knock everyone out of their earlier surprise. 

Rin turned to the demon and pointed to the red-headed woman. "I thought Shura was training me."

"Oh, she still is," the demon affirmed. "With your swordplay. Leona, on the other hand, will be helping you control your flames."

"Is that okay?" Glasses asked. "What if something happens?"

Leona interrupted once again. "Okay, sorry, but what's your name?"

Glasses looked at her. "Yukio. Yukio Okumura."

Leona stared at him, then turned to Rin, then back to Yukio. Fuck. "Twins?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

The boys nodded.

Fuck a duck.

Leona turned her glare onto the demon and her brother. The demon cleared his throat. "Yukio did not inherit the powers of Satan." 

Somehow, someway, she felt like that statement was going to come back and bite her in the ass. But she wasn't dealing with it right now. So, she turned back to the twin she'd been ordered to help.

"So, I heard that you were just starting training when we came in. Mind showing me what you were doing?" She asked Rin.

He nodded and walked over to the three candles sitting on the floor. Three cooling puddles were already there. "So, basically, Shura wanted me to light the two on the ends and not the one in the middle."

Leona nodded, instantly understanding. "I see. Smart." 

"I thought so," the woman, Shura, said.

She nodded towards the candles. "Alright, let me see."

Rin nodded and then looked up at her. "Uh...you might want to stand back." 

She did so. She'd heard plenty about Satan's flames. She wasn't going to test her luck.

He turned back to the candles once she'd stepped back far enough and pointed at the candles with a look of extreme concentration on his face. She thought smoke was about to come out of his ears.

Instead, the candles exploded.

Alright. They had a lot of work on their hands.

She nodded. "How about I show you how I do it?"

His head popped up so fast, he had to get whiplash. "What?"

Leona grinned at him. "What? Didn't think I had anything special?" She got out three more candles and sat opposite to Rin. "Watch closely."

She took a deep breath and reached for her fire. Like Rin, she'd had a lot of trouble controlling it when she first got it. But that was three years ago. Now, it came to her call.

And the candle wicks went up in crimson flame.

"Holy shit," Rin breathed. Leona brushes her hands off smartly. "Yep."

________________________________________________________________________________

Their training session ended up getting cut short by a phone call. And just like that, Leona was going on her first exorcist job. Well, more like she was tagging along with Rin and Yukio.

And then she was ditched.

"Does he do that a lot?" She asked, turning to an equally irritated Shura. "Yeah," she growled. 

"Great."

She looked over to the still-crying mother and felt the urge to smack both brothers. Jesus Christ, one was too optimistic, the other was just horribly pessimistic. The poor woman probably had whiplash from the differences between the twins's responses, along with worrying for her son.

Idiots.

________________________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Leona finally settled into her own room. It was in the same old dorm as Rin and Yukio, thankfully, so she didn't have to worry about what to do with her weapons. Also, she could just claim the next room over as her art room. Win-win.

Raphael had been hard at work since leaving her with her tutoree and had brought all of her supplies over. Including some things that...weren't art related. Oh, well, she could fix that later. 

And she didn't even have to unpack, since they'd been told they were heading to Kyoto as soon as the Academy could authorize it. Apparently, whatever had been taken from the keep here, there was also one in Kyoto that had been attacked at the same time, but stopped. Still, they needed all the backup they could get.

Leona yawned and stretched.

And then nearly jumped out of her skin when someone picked her up. She tensed, ready to barbecue them, when she recognized the bracelet on one of the arms. Then she almost scorched him just because.

"Damn it, let me go!!" She demanded, squirming. 

He laughed and dropped her.

She spun around, scowling. "Damn it, Azrael, would you stop doing that?!"

His silver eyes flashed mischievously. "Why?"

"Because I almost lit you up like a bonfire!" She threw her hands in the air.

Her brother shrugged.

Azrael, the Angel of Death, was basically the embodiment goth biker aesthetic. Dressed in black, head to toe, with heavy biker boots, and a skull bracelet she'd given him for the first Christmas after they'd met.

Leona let out a deep sigh. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I visit my little sister?" He plopped down on the bed.

"Are you?" She retorted. His grimace was answer enough. 

"Yes...and no. It's more than a social visit." He shrugged. 

She sat on her suitcase. "Do I even want to know?"

"Have you met any of the other children?"

Leona shook her head. "Just Rin Okumura. Why?"

He frowned. "I spoke with Metatron. It seems like we have a mole on our hands."

"A mole? For who?"

"The Illuminati."

Leona gaped at him. "Uhhhh...excuse me? Bring that the fuck back, throw it in park, with the emergency brake for good measure. What?! They exist?!"

Az shook his hand side to side. "Sort of. Technically, they're an organization trying to create a world where humans and demons can live together."

Oh. That didn't sound so bad–

"By forcibly merging the worlds together and reviving Satan."

Never mind.

Deep breath, Leona. "So, you're telling me that one of the students in a school for exorcists is secretly working with an organization to help destroy both worlds?"

"Basically."

Fuck.


	3. Chapter 2: To Kyoto!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leona and our favorite exwire group head to Kyoto!

The son of Satan was as giddy as a little kid.

Leona had to admit, he was kind of adorable as he flipped through the travel magazine with childish glee as they walked towards the bullet train. "I never got to go in middle school, so it'll be my first time in Kyoto," he explained. "What about you?"

She snorted. "This is my first time in Japan, so you can fill in the blanks."

It took a moment for that to sink in. When it did, Rin stopped dead and Leona stepped back as Shura walked right in to his back. "What the hell, kid?!" She demanded, falling back a step. Rin ignored her, staring at the half-angel. 

"What?! What do you mean this is your first time in Japan?!" He yelled.

Leona winced as Shura slapped him upside the head and told him to quiet down. "I live in the US. My brother came and got me yesterday morning and told me I had two hours to pack my stuff and then transported me to the academy. I've never been to Japan before this."

"Ya speak Japanese really well," Shura complimented, while Rin's brain seemed to fry. 

Leona thanked her, accepting the compliment, but declining to mention that it was part of her abilities. She could understand any language and reply back in the same. It was very useful.

Stepping aboard, Leona looked around and noticed that all of the exorcists riding were staring at them–or, more to the point, Rin.

"Is that..."

"Yeah."

"Why is that here?"

"I don't know, just be careful. I don't want to die today."

Rin seemed either oblivious or chose to ignore the muttering, but that wasn't Leona's style.

So, she stood in front of the train full of exorcists and whistled good and loud. Once she had everyone's attention, she flipped off every single person there.

"Wha' the fuck?!" She heard Shura exclaim from behind her. But she was on a roll now. "Alright, bitches," she projected into the now silent car. "If any of you have a problem, you can grow some balls–or vaginas–and get over it, cause we're here to do our jobs, just like you. And if you can't get over it, then fuck off."

After she was sure everyone had heard her, she turned and sat down in the front, right next to the window. Rin slowly sat down next to her, eyeing her cautiously. Shura leaned over, glaring at the both of them. "Keep your eyes on these seats and don't get into trouble," she hissed.

Rin protested. "Why am I in trouble?!"

But Shura turned and walked towards the back of the train, ignoring him. He sat back with a huff, while Kuro, his cat sidhe familiar curled up in his lap. Leona felt kind of bad. She was the one who snapped.

"I'm sorry for getting you in trouble," she offered.

Rin turned to her with a soft smile. "It's fine. You know you didn't have to do that, right? I'm used to it."

She scowled. "You shouldn't have to be used to it! Anybody starts talking shit to you, just come and get me. I'll put a few holes in their asses."

He blinked at her, wide-eyed. "You sure you're an angel?"

She snorted. "Honey, angels aren't human. The only reason people aren't as afraid of them as demons are because angels don't seek to enter Assiah. They're still an entirely different species, with little understanding of humanity. Regardless of any ill will, ignorance and a lack of care can be just as destructive."

Rin looked somewhat terrified now. Leona reached over and patted him on the hand. "Don't worry. My brothers rarely come here."

He took a deep breath. "Right."

Maybe she shouldn't have told him that.

Right then, he was distracted by someone in the entrance to the train car. "Sheimi!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet. Leona craned her neck to look above the seat in front of her. A pretty girl with blonde hair was staring back at them. And she looked terrified. Her name was Shiemi Moriyama, according to her brother, and Rin had saved her life when he lost control.

"Hey," Rin said nervously.

Come on, answer him, she thought as she glared at the girl. But she just turned her back on them and Rin's expression of fragile hope collapsed. Oh, she was going to kick her ass.

But before she could vault over the chairs and get to her, three other boys walked in. "Suguro! Koneko! Shima! Good morning!" Moriyama stuttered. Oh, are you kidding?!

"Morning, Shiemi," one of the boys greeted. "Ms. Kirigakure said to go to car 3 for inoculations."

"Oh, okay." And she left. Alright, ass-kicking would have to wait.

But then the boys walked in and she had bigger problems. Ryuji Suguro, nicknamed Bon. Konekomaru Miwa, or Koneko. And Renzo Shima, the dumbass girl-obsessed traitor.

Suguro stopped dead when he saw Rin standing there and his admittedly handsome face twisted in anger. Konekomaru pushed him along, quickly walking past them, even after Rin called his name. And Shima lazily called the shorter boy out for his obvious fear, like it was no big deal.

Rin fell back into his chair, sighing defeatedly.

Just as Leona was about to throw hands with the dumbasses, a girl with purple hair walked in. "Izumo!" Shima called out. "Come sit here!" Kamiki looked around and then sat down in the seat next to Rin. Rin looked at her in disbelief, while Leona didn't even try to hide her smirk. At least there was one person she wasn't going to kick the ass of.

Shima stared at Kamiki over the seat as well. Then, he seemed to notice that there was a new girl to flirt with. 

With a smile, he said, "So, what's your name?"

"Not fucking interested, dipshit," Leona retorted without missing a beat.

The response seemed to shock the flirt and he sank back into his seat as the train began to move.

Ms. Kirigakure walked back into the car. "A'ight, people, listen up! I've been dragged into actin' as the captain for this squad. I'm Shura Kirigakure! Let's work together, a'ight?

First up, I'll have the Intelligence Division's Satou explain the situation so far."

They all turned around as a man behind them stood up. "On July 22nd, at approximately 1:20 pm, the "Left Eye of the Impure King was stolen by someone. It was discovered that the director of the Deep Keep, Todo Sarutobi, had something to do with it, but we don't know why or who his accomplices are."

Ms. Kirigakure took over from there. "That's right. At the same time, the Kyoto branch's Deep Keep was also attacked, though the attempt to steal the Right Eye was thwarted."

Kamiki raised her hand. "Excuse me, but what is this about a "Left Eye" and "Right Eye"? We haven't learned anything about this."

Oh, good, so Leona wasn't the only one who was completely lost.

"Right, this isn't a major demon...Demon History lecturer, Adachi, if you'd explain."

"What?" An older, balding man blurted out. "Oh. During late Edo–Ansei Era, 1854 to 1860–the Impure King was an upper class demon thought to have caused the spread of illness and epidemics and believed to have led to 40,000 deaths.

It's Left and Right Eyes were removed by the priest Fukaku after he defeated it, to prove he'd done so."

"Sounds like a show off," Rin grumbled.

The man continued, "Though they were just eyes, they still gave off a strong, toxic miasma and are extremely dangerous."

"Whatever our enemies' plans are, we can beat they aren't good," Ms. Kirigakure picked up. "There's a possibility that the Kyoto branch might be attacked again, so that's why we're headed there to reinforce their security and nursing the injured. The exwires will be helping with that."

"So let's all work together! It'll make my job way easier." And with those last muttered words, she fell into a seat and was instantly asleep.

Leona felt that. After Azrael left, Samael (seriously, why was the Demon King of Time running a school for exorcists? What the actual fuck??) dropped off her uniform and a shit ton of paperwork. She basically spent the entire night reading up on exorcists and planning lessons for Rin. And like hell she was going to wear one of those skirts. She didn't want her underwear showing every time she kicked someone in the face.

"What?" Kamiki snapped suddenly. She finally noticed Rin's staring.

"A-Aren't you scared of me?"

"Scared of you?" She scoffed. "Why would I be scared of you. In case you didn't know, there's plenty of people with demon blood in the world. Most are exorcists."

"Really?!" Rin blurted.

Kamiki sniffed. "The only reason people have a problem with you is because you're the son of Satan. They can't decide whether having you around is a pro or con. That's it. That's all there is to it, so there's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill!" She finished loudly enough that most in the car must have heard her.

Leona liked her.

"Eyebrows..." Rin said.

"What?"

"Eyebrows, you're trying to cheer me up!" He marveled, his tail wagging cheerfully behind him. "I knew you were a nice person!"

"W-Wrong!" She hissed. Tsundere, much? "And my name isn't Eyebrows! It's Izumo Kamiki! Don't give people weird nicknames!"

"Thanks, Izumo," Rin said softly.

She blushed. "Don't use my first name! We aren't that friendly! I...I just really hate cowards. People who say things like "I'll defeat Satan" or that we're "friends" and then run away the first time things get tough!"

Preach!

Their seats shook as Suguro exploded from behind them. "Who are you calling a coward?!"

"What would you call it?" She sneered.

"You bitch!"

Rin shot out of his chair. Kuro hissed in protest as his nap was disturbed. "Hey, stop it! We're supposed to be on the same team!"

"Same. Team?" If Leona hadn't faced worse things than a punk-looking teenager, she might've been intimidated by his tone. She'd give him a minute to at least attempt to calm down before she sat him down. 

"That's right!" Rin continued. "Why can't you just trust me, man?"

She barely held back the wince. Oh, that was the wrong thing to ask. Suguro went from pissed to volcanic in an instant.

"Me? Trust you? How can I? Sixteen years ago, on the Blue Night, my temple's followers were killed by blue flames like yours. That's right, your blue flames kill people!"

Alright, no, that was enough.

Leona got up and shoved the jackass back into his own seat.

"Who the fuck are you?!" He demanded.

"Shut up and listen, you little shit," she hissed.

"I'm taller than you!"

Seriously? That's what he focused on? God, give her patience.

"I wasn't talking about your height, sweetheart." She made a pointed glance down to his crouch. It shut him up, at least. So, she continued.

"I wasn't here for the big reveal, but using my common sense and my ability to listen, both of which you clearly do not possess, I can get the gist of it. You told him you were friends, that you had his back, and when shit hit the fan, you ran with your tail between your legs.

Tough. Shit. You talked the talk and found out you couldn't walk the walk. That pitiful on its own, but this? Honey, child, that stick is so far up your ass I can see it when you talk. Rin most likely wasn't even born when that happened, and if he was, he was maybe a month old. Dumbass. I don't blame him for hiding who his sperm donor was–it's called "self preservation" and its smart in this case.

Who in their right mind would tell a bunch of exorcists–even ones in training–that they happen to share DNA with the Big Bad Devil?"

Suguro didn't respond, but she had other fish to fry. She'd just go down the line.

"Konekomaru!" The smaller boy's head snapped upwards. "Are you fucking serious? You've spent how long with this guy?" She asked, pointing at a stunned Rin.

"Four months," Kamiki supplied gleefully.

"Thank you.

Four months," she barked. "Four fucking months, bitch! And you don't know what kind of person he is by now?! That sounds like more of a you problem than a him problem."

Konekomaru shrunk into himself. Moving on.

"And you," She snarled, turning to the unexpecting Shima. "You fucker.

You're not even afraid! You're just too fucking lazy to make your own decisions!"

Oh, that got a reaction. She'd just pissed the spy off. Incredible poker face, though. No doubt he fooled everyone else with that. But she could see beneath.

She wasn't done. Raising her voice, she turned to her left. "And you! Moriyama!"

Rin grabbed her arm. "Wait–"

Leona shook her head. "Sorry, Rin, but I'm calling all their asses out, I don't care!"

"Weren't you his first friend here?! Didn't he save your life with that stunt in the forest?! And then you ostracize him for it. Great job, honey! Great job being there for your 'friend'! I applaud you!"

She had nothing to say to that, only sank deeper into her chair.

Right then, Suguro managed to snap out of it. "I'm not little!" He sputtered.

Oh, he should have just left it.

Leona reached into her pocket and whipped out a knife. "Want me to fix that?" She growled, holding the tip to his pants.

"Okay, enough!" The tip of a sword flashed between them. Ms. Kirigakure has woken up. "Put the knife away. We're s'posed to be workin' together. Stuff like this gets people killed out in the field!"

Slowly, not adverting her eyes for a second, she put the knife away. 

"Sit. Down," the older Exorcist enunciated. 

Both teenagers did so. "Be quiet and don't cause any more trouble, dammit." She put her sword away and went to fall back down into her seat.

"What's your name, again?" Kamiki asked.

"Where did you get the knife?!" Rin exclaimed.

Leona looked around the half-demon and smiled at the girl beside him. "Leona. Leona Alexander. I'm a transfer student."

________________________________________________________________________________

Alright, she had to agree with Rin. Kyoto Tower was impressive.

The Kyoto exorcist sent to retrieve them was...interesting, to say the least. "Okay, so, I'm Kinzo Shima and I represent the local field office. Welcome to Kyoto." And then, he smashed his head into the mike, making an awful screech that had both her and Rin wincing for their poor, sensitive ears. Honestly, fuck enhanced hearing sometimes.

"Oh, Kin, why did you have to do that stupid routine? Please don't let anyone figure out we're related," Shima whimpered behind her. Too late.

"First off, we'll be taking you to the inn you'll be staying at. And once your rooms are sorted and your bags are dropped, you guys are going to help us out with the temptaint victims. We appreciate your support!" The mike screeched again.

Oh, thank God that was over.

The atmosphere on the bus, despite the...entertainment...was so tense, she could've cut it with her knife. Rin hadn't said anything after Suguro's outburst, despite Kuro's attempts to cheer him up. Everyone else seemed to be in their own heads as well.

Leona reached under her shirt and pulled out her locket. Rubbing the spiral-pattern engravings, she looked out the window with a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

________________________________________________________________________________

“Bon!”

“Bon!”

“Welcome home, Bon!”

Leona stood behind with the other students as all of the exorcists living in the inn flipped out over Suguro’s presence, without a clue as to what the fuck was going on.


	4. Chapter 3: Friction

"Bon!"

"Bon, welcome home!"

"Bon!" The Kyoto representative, Kinzo Shima, exclaimed. "Ah, man, I didn't recognize you on the bus! Sorry about that!"

"Where's mistress? Mistress!"

"No, don't–" Suguro hissed.

"Ryūji?" A dark-haired woman in a kimono walked into the hall. Leona would bet her best paintbrushes that was his mother.

"My boy, you..." She reached out towards Suguro's face. And grabbed his two-toned hair. "You actually went and died your hair," she growled. "You want to look like a rooster or something?!" And ow. She just ripped out part of it. Leona couldn't help wincing in sympathy.

"You sure have guts, stepping into this inn again! Didn't you say you were going to go study?! Huhhhh?!!!"

"Uhhh...I was just about to say I was assigned here, as an Exwire. And what do you mean, rooster?! I dyed it to show my determination!"

"Determination my ass!"

Shima snickered. "I knew she'd freak out about the hair," he said to Miwa.

"Uhhh, what?" Kamiki asked.

That drew Mrs. Suguro's attention to them. "Oh! My apologies," she chirped, sweet as sugar. "I'm Ryūji's mother."

"You're Suguro's mom?!" Rin exclaimed. 

Why was that surprising? 

"Yep," Shima said, grinning. "This here is Bon's family home."

"But I thought Bon's home was the temple that got destroyed."

"That's right, but the temple couldn't make ends meet, so I took over my family's inn," Mrs. Suguro responded.

Kamiki snorted. "I always wondered why they called him Bon–turns out he really is the young master of an inn."

"I can hear you!" Suguro snapped embarrassedly.

And Leona got the feeling a joke just went over her head.

"Mistress, thank you for allowing us to stay here," Ms. Kirigakure said, holding out a gift. Suguro's mother took it with a bow. "We appreciate the Order's patronage."

After finishing pleasantries, Ms. Kirigakure turned to the students. "Suguro, Miwa, Shima, go see your families. It's been awhile and I'm sure they're worried. The rest of you, help with the temptaint victims."

"Yes, ma'am," they all chorused. Thank God Leona had taken a very short crash course in very basic exorcist terms, so she knew what a temptaint was.

While the Kyoto boys left, they were led farther into the inn and showed a room where the injured were laid. Leona felt the blood drain from her face when she saw the IVs. Oh...no.

She stood there, frozen, as the exorcist, a man she didn't know, explained how to treat the patients. Thankfully, she snapped out of it when the man grabbed Rin to stop him from going to help. "What?" He asked.

"Not you," the exorcist said with barely concealed disgust. Oh, so it was like that, was it?

"What should I do?" Rin asked, exasperation creeping into his voice.

The man stared at him. "Pick up...stuff."

"Like?"

The exorcist thought for a moment and, looking right as Rin, said, "Trash?"

Nope. Nuh-uh. Not going to happen.

Leona stepped forward and looked the man up and down. "What?" He asked. She ignored his question and swept him up in a fireman's hold.

"What the hell?!"

"Leona?" Rin blurted. 

"One moment, please," she said with a sharp smile. And then preceded to carry the exorcist back towards the foyer. "What are you doing?!" He demanded. Leona hushed him as she trotted past a flabbergasted Ms. Kirigakure. "Trash doesn't speak," She admonished.

"What?!"

Leona looked around, trying to find...there it was! 

And she tossed him, head over heels, into the trash can.

Turning around, she found Ms. Kirigakure staring at her. She shrugged back. "He called Rin trash." 

The teacher threw her hands up in defeat. "A'ight. Fine. Yunokawa, when ya get yerself out of there, go help with the temptaint victims, got it?" 

Yunokawa muttered something inaudible.

Leona left Ms. Kirigakure to it and jogged back to where Rin was. But, when she got there, the half-demon was nowhere to be seen. 

"Fuck me sideways with a dildo, where did he go?!"  
________________________________________________________________________________

Rin's nose burned with the scent of alcohol. The priest next to him had been tipping the bottle–and recently.

Kuro sneezed next to him.

"Been hitting the bottle, old man?" He asked, pulling the watermelons from the bucket. "Ain't very priestly, you know."

The old man laughed. "Ah, found me out. It's so hot, I couldn't help myself."

A smile crept onto Rin's face as he thought of his own old man. That sounded like something he'd say.

"Sounds like something my dad would say."

"Oh? What's your name, boy?"

"Rin. Rin Okumura." 

"Fujimoto's boy?"

Rin's head snapped up. "What?! You knew my dad?!"

The man laughed. "Of course. He was the Paladin."

Rin shrunk. "Oh." Of course, everyone knew about dad. They normally didn't make the connection between him and Rin though, so he'd thought...

"Know who I am?" The priest asked with a grin, pointing to himself. 

Rin shook his head.

"I'm Tatsuma Suguro, Ryuji's dad."

Rin choked. He had not been expecting that, to say the least. "You?! Seriously?!"

"What? Don't you see the resemblance?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Suguro's way cooler."

"Is that so?" Suguro-san asked. "You must be on good terms with my boy."

"We're fighting right now," Rin admitted, muttering.

Suguro-san laughed. "You too, huh? Join the club, kid, he's pissed at me too!"

"Ah, you too, huh..."

"He's a bit stubborn, isn't he?" Suguro-san said wistfully.

"Yeah. But he's a good guy. I just want to make things right with him," Rin confessed.

"Me too, kid. Me too."

The next few minutes passed in comfortable silence as Rin cut the watermelons up. 

"Alright, all done–WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He yelled at the man, who was currently climbing over a wall to escape the courtyard.  
"I'm glad to have met you, Rin. Let's talk another time." 

"Wa-wait!" But it was too late. The older man was gone and Rin was left with Kuro and two sliced watermelons to be delivered to the victims. At least he had something to do. Maybe.

________________________________________________________________________________

When Leona finally found Rin, he was carrying watermelon slices and muttering about degenerate priests.

"Do I even want to know?" She asked, with a cocked eyebrow.

"I met Suguro's dad," was Rin's response. Alright then.

He held out the watermelons. "These are for the victims." 

Leona nodded and took the tray that had been balanced on his head. "I'll help." Between the two of them, they distributed the treats and were thanked promptly by the injured. From the ones she met, at least some of these people were good, kind–

And then a sliding screen burst from its frame and a white snake came flying out towards the patients. Before Leona or Rin had the chance to react, however, a chant sounded as Suguro himself jumped in front of the attack, along with Konekomaru and Shima. The snake, a naga familiar, dissolved against the barrier, leaving a very pissed off Suguro standing there. 

"Stop it! We're being targeted by the enemy right now, we don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves!" 

"Pot," Leona coughed. Loudly.

"Fuck you!" Suguro snapped back.

"Uhhhhh, guys," Rin trailed off.

"Not a guy," she muttered back to him. 

"Sorry."

Suguro took a deep breath. Letting it out, he turned back to the woman and man who'd been fighting in the med room like idiots.

"Master Ryuji..." The woman scoffed. "Perhaps your father should be making those kinds of statements."

Alright, then.

________________________________________________________________________________

After delivering meals to the field office, the students went the separate ways to eat their dinners. Eventually, Leona was left with Rin and Shima. And then Rin got drunk. And passed out.

"Oh my god, he's drunk," she muttered into her hands. "He's actually drunk. She gave us her alcohol."

"Well, that explains a few things," Shima said, walking over to them. Leona watched him warily, opening her ability up to him more. She didn't think he'd start anything here, but you could never be too careful. 

Instead of suddenly going "ah-hah" and trying to stab her or....something–she was tired, alright? High-functioning thought was not a possibility for her right now–he lifted him onto his back. "Shit, how is he so heavy?!" He complained loudly.

Still, he seemed...happier...than before. She tasted sugar.

She didn't know how to take that.

She began to follow both of them back to the inn, somehow having ended up carrying the trash. "So, where are you from?" Shima asked conversationally.

"The USA," she responded, not seeing the harm. Might as well get the questions out of the way. 

"Really? Wow, your Japanese is great!"

"Thank you," she said politely, the manners her grandmother had drilled into her not allowing anything less. Bitch.

"Why come to True Cross?"

She couldn't tell if he was genuinely curious or if he was feeling her out. "Why did you enroll?" 

He sighed dramatically. "Bon wanted to go, which meant Koneko was going, which meant I had to go with them–Bon's the next Myoda high priest, if you didn't already pick up on that, so he has to be protected." A spark of resentment shot through him, and a sharp taste of lemon in her mouth made Leona flinch.

God, she hated tasting emotions. Why did this happen when she cranked up her empathy?

"Oh. That sucks," she said lamely.

"Thank you!" Shima exclaimed. Rin snorted.

"Shhhh!!!" She hissed.

Shima rolled his eyes. "He's not waking up, trust me."

She barely fought the urge to laugh at that statement. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Shima grunted as he dumped Rin onto his futon. "Good night," he said, waving to Leona.

"Night," she replied distractedly.

He left the room, heading to his own. Thankfully, his old room was unoccupied and, more importantly, not important enough to be monitored. 

Opening his phone, he dialed a number that was now very familiar to him.

"Hello?" A voice trilled.

"Mephisto," Shima scowled. "Who the fuck is Leona Alexander?"

The demon laughed. "Oh, so you've met our new addition? Don't worry about her, she'll serve her purpose in my game."

"And that would be..." he trailed off, knowing full well it was futile.

Mephisto laughed again. "All in good time, my young infiltrator. All in good time."

Click.

Motherfucker.

________________________________________________________________________________

Leona stared down at a drunkingly sleeping Rin. Fuck this, she has plans for him tonight. 

Bending down, she sat her hands on his forehead and the stomach. And began burning the alcohol from his system. His demonic digestive system had already done most of the work for her, so it was easy.

Within a minute, Rin was sober and awake. 

"Wha...what happened?" He asked, sitting up. "How did I get back here?"

"Shima carries you," Leona informed him, standing up and crossing her arms. "Apparently, our wonderful teacher mistakingly gave us her alcohol. Which you drank. And passed out, drunk."

Rin blinked up at her, at a loss for words. "Well...at least I don't go to Mass anymore," he muttered.

Of course the son of Satan was Catholic.

"You're Catholic?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I guess I was, before–" He gestured to himself.

Leona grinned. "You just pointed to all of you," she joked.

"Yeah..." he said, obviously confused.

And he didn't get the reference. Never mind.

She shook her head. "Anyway, get up. We're starting your training."

Rin groaned, but got up. And she slapped him upside the head for the attitude.

"What was that for?!"

"For the attitude, now come on."

She led him out and away from the inn, picking up a large bag as they left. Once they were a considerable ways away from the inn and into the forest, she set the bag down. "Sit, please."

After he'd sat down, Leona reached into the bag and pulled out three candles, setting them in front of him. Then, she sat down, facing him. 

"Listen," she said. "Do you understand the purpose of this exercise?"

"To control my flame."

Well, at least he got the basics.

Leona shook her head. "Yes, but that's not what I'm asking." She took his hands and laid them on the outside candles. "These are your enemies. This," She brought his hands to the inner candle, "is your comrades."

She moved his hands back to the outer candles and wrapped them around the wax. "This is killing your enemies. This," Bringing his hands up to the wick, "is injuring them and allowing for information to be gathered."

Letting go of his hands, she leaned back. "This is what this exercise means. Do you understand?"

He nodded determinedly. 

"Good. Now, I want those candles lit–properly–before we go back to True Cross, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Do not call me that."

________________________________________________________________________________

Twelve o'clock, they trudged back to the inn. Leona was dead on her feet and Rin was just as tired. Shura was waiting for them. "And where have y'all been?" She demanded. Leona flipped her off. "Doing my fucking job. Also, anybody who wakes me up before 9 will be stabbed. Goodnight." 

With that, the two half-humans zombie-walked back to their rooms and collapsed onto their beds, snores sounding as soon as their heads hit the pillows.


	5. Chapter 4: Control

https://tigerroseblue.tumblr.com/post/642438018933850113

“Wow, you two look rough!" 

Leona was going to stab him. He was being too loud, too early. She hadn't even had her breakfast. She was non-functional for at least an hour after she woke up and was unfit for company. Especially loud company.

Shima plopped down across the table from them, an annoying grin on his face. Her empathy was still opened up to him and she tasted sugar and maple syrup.

"Hey, man, are you sure you should be sitting here?" Rin asked, soothingly quiet. Thank god somebody knew how to use an inside voice. 

Shima laughed. "Why not?"

"REEEEEEEEENNNNZOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Somebody was going to die.

And it might be Shima, considering he just got flying-kicked across the room. 

"What the hell was that, Kin?!" He demanded, scrambling up, holding his cheek, which had to hurt–nope. Nuh-uh. She was not feeling sorry for a spy.

"It was a flying kick–obviously," Kinzo Shima said. "Are you stupid?"

"I–"

"Renzo! Great to see you're as lively as ever," another dark-haired man said cheerfully.

Fuck morning people.

"Ju! Not you too!" Shima grumbled at his brother. "More importantly, how are you two feeling? Better already?"

"We weren't injured badly. I'm actually heading back out to the scene today." Juzo Shima admitted.

Mint and lemon. Or was that lime? She always mixed those two up. So, he was relieved, but also jealous/resentful. Interesting.

Goddamn it, now they were all sitting down. Please, for the love of all that was holy, be quiet.

Shima pointed to the two of them. "Hey, meet my friends. This is Rin Okumura and Leona Alexander, a transfer student from the States."

"Cool! I'm Juzo, Renzo's big brother. That's Kinzo, he's the fourth son and a bit of an idiot. Renzo's the youngest son and somewhat of a perv. Glad to meet the both of you!"

Rin greeted them back, while Leona let out a grunt.

"Koneko! Why don't you come over here and eat with us?" Juzo asked.

The boy's voice shook as he answered. "Oh, I–I'm done! Thank you."

He rushed past them, almost going into a full sprint when Leona growled at him. Pussy.

"What's up with him?" Juzo asked. Nobody replied.

________________________________________________________________________________

After they'd finished eating and she was properly awake, it was off to train. It was back to the forest again, since Leona didn't want to scorch the Suguro's nice roof.

"Okay, Rin, breath," she reminded him. "Remember, those candles represent your foes and your friends, the difference between alive and charred beyond recognition."

"I know."

He breathed. And all three were engulfed in fire. "Fuck!"

Leona took a deep breath. "Alright. Calm down. This is why I'm here."

Rin's hands gripped in his hair. "I don't know why I can't do it. I see the meaning, like you said, but I just can't get it!"

The frustration was getting to him. It got to her, too, when she first started learning her powers. 

"It's okay. Take a deep breath."

She breathed with him, for solidarity's sake.

"Alright, now listen to me. What do you think these flames are?"

"Satan's flames." He said like it was obvious.

It was as she thought. Leona shook her head. "No. They're your flames. They come from your being, from your heart and soul."

She had his attention now. She continued. "You are not your father. I am not my mother. All we have from them is half our DNA–they didn't raise us. And that makes all the difference."

She smiled at him. "So, tell your flames to do what you want them to."

________________________________________________________________________________

"Shima!"

Shima stopped and turned back to a panting Koneko. "Yeah?"

"Wh-Why are you being so friendly with Okumura?!"

Oh, fuck him sideways, this again?

"Juzo and Kinzo don't know anything, but you're acting like you're the best of friends. What are you going to do when they find out he's the son of Satan?!"

Why not say it a bit louder? They probably didn't hear you in the city.

He shrugged. "Whatever happens, happens."

"Don't you care?!" Koneko demanded. "I'm sick of it!"

That'd make two of them.

"You and Bon are always too serious," he said testily. "I know I used to think 'It'd be best if I avoided trouble', but avoiding Okumura is more trouble than it's worth."

"Okumura's a good guy," he added. "And I know you know that too."

He laced his hands behind the head. "Don't you have a general meeting to go to or something? You are the head of the Miwa family." He knew he was being a jerk, but he was done with this conversation. "Poor you. Good thing I'm the fifth son, huh?"

He walked away. 

"That wasn't very nice," a voice hissed in his head.

"Stuff it."

________________________________________________________________________________

Konekomaru left the Myoda meeting with a heavy heart. 

A traitor? It was unimaginable. But if Shima's father believed it so, it must be true.

He found his feet retracing a familiar path. Soon, he found himself standing before his family's graves. 

Bowing, he began to speak. "Honored ancestors, I'm powerless. Please, tell me what I should do!"

"Konekomaru!"

His eyes shot open and he took a quick step back as Okumura of all people came bounding up to him, with the new girl behind him, a scowl on her face. He got the feeling she really didn't like him.

"S-stop!" He said, waving his good hand. Okumura came to a grinding halt.

"I-I want you to stay away from Bon! He's going through a lot right now and–"

"Forget about him for now!" Okumura erupted into blue flames and Konekomaru's flight or fight instinct kicked in. He turned and ran. Or, at least, he tried.

A second later, Okumura jumped in front of him. "Stop running! I just want to know how to make up with you!"

"I-I don't...I don't have anything," he choked out. "I don't...have any family." Or any talent, like Bon and Shima, he added to himself. "I was all alone. But the Myoda took me in and raised me. And some day, I'll pay them back for their kindness. When I grow up, I'm going to be useful to Myoda. They're the only thing I have to go back to. They're my home. Anyone who poses a threat to them, I don't care who they are, they are my enemy!"

"Okay, I get it," Okumura said quietly. Then, he smiled. "All I have to do it to prove I'm not a threat and then we're cool, right?" Konekomaru gaped at him. What? 

"I think I get why you're scared of me. Even though I practice everyday like crazy, I still haven't gotten control of my flames yet. Hell, if I were you, I'd be nervous too!"

"Somehow," The new girl drawled. "I doubt you'd be as much of a bitch about it."

"Leona!" Okumura hissed.

She shut him off with a hand, as she walked closer to them. "You're a dumbass, you know that?" She asked him. "You do have a family. The Myoda are your family, you basically just said as much." Leona snorted. "Blood doesn't always mean family. Take it from Rin and I. Sometimes, blood fucking sucks ass. Chosen families can be just as important.

Which is why I'm not stabbing you right now."

Both Konekomaru and Okumura stared at her. Konekomaru wasn't sure if he should be even more afraid of her than he was of Okumura.

Then, she turned around and grabbed Okumura by the shirt. "Come on, I'm about to work you until you pass out!" She said cheerfully.

"What?!"

Konekomaru watched as Okumura was dragged away. 

"Okumura's a good guy. And I know you know that too."

And Konekomaru has to admit that Shima was right.


End file.
